Falling Apart
by Animegirl1129
Summary: Horatio helps Yelina cope with Ray's death. Written for CSI Romance 07.


-Falling Apart-

_**Written for Mtwapa for CSI: Romance 07. Horatio helps Yelina cope after Ray's death. OMG. It's not slash. Spoilers for 'Rio'.**_

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Something wasn't right here, Horatio decided, as he stood outside of his apartment. The deadbolt on his door had been locked when he'd left this morning, he knew, he always locked it. But, now it wasn't. His training as a CSI told him not to open the door, but his intuition told him otherwise, so he stepped in all the same. He flicked on the lights, spotting a figure seated on his couch.

"Yelina." The C.S.I. stared at the familiar face now inhabiting his living room. The intruder looked up at him, verifying it was indeed who it had appeared to be. This had been the last thing he'd expected to find upon stepping in the door, finally getting back to his empty apartment after pulling a double shift. But, she was there, really there.

She smiled softly at him. "Horatio."

He crossed the room, moving to sit beside her on the sofa. "I thought you said there wasn't anything left in Miami?" Horatio inquired, tossing his sun glasses onto the coffee table. "_Saudade_. Right?"

"Family, remember?" She shot him a telling look. "I brought Ray Jr. to visit Madison. He wants to get to know her. Suzie asked me to say 'hello' for both of them." Yelina explained, before the two lapsed into a comfortable silence, broken only by the rhythmic ticking of the clock on the opposite wall and the hushed sounds of the city outside of the room.

"That'll be good for him." The elder said finally, nodding as if verifying the thought in his own head. "And some time away from Rio will be good for you, too."

"It seems the memories aren't confined to just Rio and Miami." She replied, eyes falling to the floor as she tried to push the thoughts of her late husband away.

Horatio slid an arm around her shoulders, his own mind flooding with the last moments he'd had with his younger brother before he finally succumbed to his injuries. "I know." He said simply, and she knew that he did.

He knew that she probably hadn't let herself fall apart over Ray's death. That she's put up a front so her son wouldn't see her pain, but right now no one else was around, she knew she didn't have to be strong for Horatio, and she was finally letting go. "It's alright…"

Yelina's head fell to rest against his shoulder, as the tears began their slow descent. They'd been held back for so long that it seemed there would be no end to the silent sobs that wracked the woman's body. She'd never been one for such activities before, but Horatio couldn't really blame her. After all this was the second time she'd lost her husband, so he really didn't mind.

So they talked. Or really, he talked and she listened, because he couldn't take this awkward silence for that long. They talked about all the memories they had of Ray, and what the two of them had been through over the years, how Ray Jr. was coping with everything, Rio, everything that they'd kept to themselves in the months since the younger Caine's death.

He sat on the sofa with his arms around her for several hours, before it seemed that she had finally cried herself to sleep. Carefully maneuvering her so he could stand, he lifted her into his arms, carrying her swiftly to his room.

Once he got her into the bed, Horatio made to leave, but Yelina reached for his arm. "Stay." She whispered into the room that was just beginning to be lightened by the early morning sun leeching in through the window shades. "Please. Just stay."

"Okay." Horatio nodded, sliding into bed beside her. She turned into his chest, head resting against his shoulder yet again. His arm came to rest around her waist, the two locked in an awkward embrace, neither one with any desire to move.

"Horatio?"

"Yeah?" He forced his eyes open again, only to see that hers were still closed.

She smiled at him again. "Thank you for this." Her grip on him tightened slightly and he hugged her back in return, both content just to lay there now and sort through their thoughts.

Yelina had needed him to help her work through Raymond's death, so she could move on. And, someday, he could not yet testify as to whether that would be sooner or later, he would need her to help him get past Marisol. Because they both knew how the other felt, and they could help each other through this hard time.

But, for now, something had changed, and Horatio wasn't about to mess whatever this… thing was, so, he leaned down and kissed her cheek. "Anytime." He whispered, as she finally did fall asleep again.

And in the morning they'd deal with whatever came of their out of the ordinary relationship. Now, he'd help put her back together as she fell apart and they'd both move on.


End file.
